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Fewer than half the whales targeted by Japan’s “scientific” hunts are killed instantly, with the average ocean giant taking five minutes to die from its wounds, they warn.

With Japan attempting to bring about a return of commercial whaling after a 32 year moratorium, conservationists are pointing to evidence from studies to highlight the appalling suffering the marine mammals face when hit by exploding harpoons.

Humane Society International says welfare data collected from 482 minke whales hit by exploding harpoons show fewer than half are killed instantly, while survivors take on average five minutes to die.

Half the 575 sei whales killed over the same 2010 to 2015 period also did not die straight away after being harpooned, with the average time to death being three minutes.

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Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, said: “Japan could not possibly have advanced a more regressive and reckless proposition, imperiling both the conservation and welfare of whales.

“You don’t need to be a veterinarian to know that firing at a whale with a harpoon that explodes inside its body, in many cases not killing it immediately, is going to cause appalling and completely unacceptable suffering.

“There is no humane way to kill whales at sea, and that fact alone should be enough for countries to reject Japan’s proposal.”

The proposal is on the table at the 67th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Florianopolis, Brazil, where 89 member bodies will discuss the possible returns of some of the planet’s largest marine mammals being killed for profit.

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Officials on the archipelago say the hunts are conducted in accordance with international law and that it takes only a few seconds to kill each whale using a lance to break the spinal cord.

Yet it is the spectre of full-scale commercial whaling on open seas which will be dominating IWC proceedings over coming days after its incoming chairman Professor Joji Morishita announced he wanted to change the conference’s paradigm to “mutual respect from mutual denial”.

Tokyo is presenting a “Way Forward” document which would create a sustainable whaling committee for countries wanting to allow their natiionals to hunt healthy whale populations.

It is a proposal rejected by anti-whaling nations, which include the UK, fellow EU members, Australia, New Zealand and hosts Brazil.

Professor Morishita told journalists as the conference started: “Our challenge at this meeting is whether we can bridge the two different ideas or find a situation where we can agree to disagree so that we can see the future rather than just fighting each other."